Nicely written article. One of the better articles by this author. The meaning
of the bar mitzvah has evolved over time. I would have liked to see a bit more
about the hisrory of the bat mitzvah and its "defiant" roots.

The tradition of the boy’s first public reading from the Torah in the
synagogue comes at the same age at which Jesus was found in the temple in
discussion with the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions (Luke 2:
42-50). There was no formal bar mitzvah as such in the time of Jesus. But I
can’t help wondering about the possible significance in this entry by Luke
which stands as the only Gospel-reported event in Jesus’ life between his
birth and his adult life.